Celebrating Our Amazing Library Volunteers Across Devon

This Volunteers' Week, we are excited to share the 2026 winners of our Libraries Unlimited Volunteer Awards! Volunteers bring so much to our libraries; whether they give their time or expertise, they make a real difference to their local communities. We are grateful to all of our invaluable volunteers. Your dedication, kindness and passion inspire us every day!  

Alice Ealdmoor, our Volunteering Development Manager, shared:

"This is my first Volunteers' Week with Libraries Unlimited and I feel very lucky to be working alongside such a dedicated group of volunteers. In just a few months, I have been struck by the zeal and commitment so evident in everyone I meet across the charity, but especially the volunteer teams. It has been a pleasure to be a part of the 2026 Libraries Unlimited Volunteer Awards; every individual nomination was inspiring and altogether they show how volunteering really is enriching lives and building communities across Devon and Torbay." 

We had so many fantastic nominations, and our panel of staff and trustees had much deliberation when choosing our Libraries Unlimited 2025 Volunteer Awards winners.  

"Enriching Lives, Building Communities" Award  

This year, we have not one but two winners of the "Enriching Lives, Building Communities" Award. 

Winner: Ashley from Exeter and Pinhoe 

Ashley volunteers at Bounce and Rhyme sessions in Exeter Central and Pinhoe Libraries. Families really enjoy his welcoming and engaging sessions, which combine creative storytelling, Makaton signing and of course all the Bounce and Rhyme classics. Staff describe him as "invaluable".   

Ashley is the joint winner of our Enriching Lives, Building Communities Volunteer Award 2026. We couldn't ignore his energy and commitment.   

Winner: Jackie from Torquay

Local Studies Volunteer Jackie has quickly become an indispensable part of the Torquay Library team. Whether she's curating resource collections or assisting individuals with enquiries, she handles everything with her trademark diligence.  

Jackie is the joint winner of our Enriching Lives, Building Communities Award for her commitment to Torquay's Local history now and for the future. Find out more about her work here.   

Young Volunteer Award  

Winner: Beth from Bideford 

Beth hasn't been volunteering at Bideford Library for long, but she's made a huge impact already. She shelves books and supports customers with a big smile. Beth is someone staff members can rely on.   

Congratulations, Beth! Winner of this year's Young Volunteer Award.  

Fantastic Fundraiser Award  

Winner: Lucien from Exmouth 

Lucien's dedication and commitment as a CoderDojo volunteer has been instrumental to the club's success and has enabled many children in Exmouth to learn coding while having fun. Not only that, but he has convinced local businesses to donate or buy equipment to keep the club up-to-date and provide opportunities for young people to get into coding. 

Excellent Teamwork Award 

Winner: Trevor from Braunton 

Co-ordinator, painter and decorator, shelving technician, fundraiser, on-call troubleshooter and locksmith. Is there anything Trevor doesn't help out with at Braunton Library?  

"He stops what he's doing to help other volunteers when they have problems". That's why Trevor is this year's Excellent Teamwork Award Winner!  

Advocate Award 

Winner: Buckfastleigh Library Friends Group  

Described as "a powerhouse group", The Friends of Buckfastleigh Library are determined, organised and very effective. They advocate and fundraise for their local Library and, rumour has it, might even be behind some furry friends visiting the library this summer.   

Who better to win our 2026 Volunteer Advocate award? 

Special Mentions Awards 

Winner: Mel and Rafa, the dog, from Okehampton 

A few years ago, Mel approached us to offer to bring Rafa, a gorgeous black labrador, along to listen to children read. He is a registered Pets as Therapy dog. Rafa brings Mel along most weeks and sits her down in a chair whilst he settles himself on a rug to listen to stories read by the children.   

Mel and Rafa have really helped to improve the confidence of the children in Okehampton Library and are more than deserving of the 2026 Special Mentions Award.   

Winner: Mick from Sidmouth 

"Mick is one of the kindest, funniest and most inspiring individuals you could ever meet. Always smiling and positive, he also has a wicked sense of humour that frequently has us in fits of laughter". With the energy of a man one 10th of his age, Mick gets stuck at Sidmouth Library to do anything he can to help customers, staff and fellow volunteers alike, both in and out of the library.    

Congratulations to all our winners! Thank you to everyone who volunteers in our libraries. We are grateful for your time, care and community spirit!